Thanks for asking. To start with, there is certainly a difference between the large schools (e.g. U Wisconsin, in Madison) and the smaller campuses. The smaller ones are pretty much business as usual, at least on the surface, whereas the larger universities have more infrastructure and an ability to rally both more students and more of t…
Thanks for asking. To start with, there is certainly a difference between the large schools (e.g. U Wisconsin, in Madison) and the smaller campuses. The smaller ones are pretty much business as usual, at least on the surface, whereas the larger universities have more infrastructure and an ability to rally both more students and more of the general populace. Where I'm at there is not much overt political action other than the usual student groups (College Republicans and College Democrats). I'm not allowed to have political discussions on campus with the kids, so what I learn usually is by earshot -- overhearing their discourse, going on at a distance -- or seeing little clues, like the stickers they put on their laptops and other personal displays of preference. If there is a difference, it is that the College Republicans seem to have a much bigger budget for promotion (lots of glossy paper, full color flyers on bulletin boards all over the place), and, more distressingly, they have been inviting and hosting big names from Wisconsin politics past and present. In contrast the College Democrats aren't as high profile and don't have a line of established speakers (really, any speakers I can see) presenting their news and views. So there is an imbalance there that is not advantageous to liberals. But my (admittedly only partially informed) sense is that a majority of students have liberal leanings, even if they are not overt about it or talking it up en masse. I am never in the dorms and seldom in the student union, so I may be missing some important activity. Still, my overall impression is that the students as a whole want to give Harris a chance at a fresh start and are not pleased about DJT's shenanigans, whatever political merit his agenda may or may not have. I sense he is hurting himself with young voters, who do not share his world view and thus are turned off by both his candidacy and his buffoonery. But, again, that's just an impression, based on a small sample size. In all things academic we continue as usual, and none of the politics interfere with course delivery, student learning, and other things that define the customary educational experience. That much at least has been good to see.
Thanks for asking. To start with, there is certainly a difference between the large schools (e.g. U Wisconsin, in Madison) and the smaller campuses. The smaller ones are pretty much business as usual, at least on the surface, whereas the larger universities have more infrastructure and an ability to rally both more students and more of the general populace. Where I'm at there is not much overt political action other than the usual student groups (College Republicans and College Democrats). I'm not allowed to have political discussions on campus with the kids, so what I learn usually is by earshot -- overhearing their discourse, going on at a distance -- or seeing little clues, like the stickers they put on their laptops and other personal displays of preference. If there is a difference, it is that the College Republicans seem to have a much bigger budget for promotion (lots of glossy paper, full color flyers on bulletin boards all over the place), and, more distressingly, they have been inviting and hosting big names from Wisconsin politics past and present. In contrast the College Democrats aren't as high profile and don't have a line of established speakers (really, any speakers I can see) presenting their news and views. So there is an imbalance there that is not advantageous to liberals. But my (admittedly only partially informed) sense is that a majority of students have liberal leanings, even if they are not overt about it or talking it up en masse. I am never in the dorms and seldom in the student union, so I may be missing some important activity. Still, my overall impression is that the students as a whole want to give Harris a chance at a fresh start and are not pleased about DJT's shenanigans, whatever political merit his agenda may or may not have. I sense he is hurting himself with young voters, who do not share his world view and thus are turned off by both his candidacy and his buffoonery. But, again, that's just an impression, based on a small sample size. In all things academic we continue as usual, and none of the politics interfere with course delivery, student learning, and other things that define the customary educational experience. That much at least has been good to see.